Gotham may be leaving television next year, but creator Bruno Heller has ensured viewers won't have long to wait before another Batman prequel hits the air. Production on Pennyworth will begin on Monday, October 22 and it's been announced the series has found a leading actor to portray Alfred Pennyworth. Actor Jack Bannon will step in to play the future butler in his younger years as a head of a security company working for Thomas Wayne in 1960s London. As for Thomas Wayne? He'll be portrayed by Ben Aldridge.
Jack Bannon's Alfred Pennyworth will be unlike a majority of past representations of the character, as Pennyworth is set to follow the character before Bruce Wayne was even alive. Bannon will portray a young Alfred, a character who is described as handsome, charming, witty, and honest. Alfred's core personality is at odds with his other identity as a cold and calculated British SAS soldier who was forced to kill due to his circumstances. Epix's 10-episode hour-long drama series will explore this conflict, as well as Pennyworth's work with Thomas Wayne.
Jack Bannon is a face American audiences have seen before, and has appeared in films such as The Imitation Game and Fury. Bannon may be most known, however, for his presence on British television where he's appeared in series such as Ripper Street, The Loch, Endeavour, and Clique to name a few. Suffice to say, television is not a new venture for the young actor, who has been appearing on the format since 2004.
Jack Bannon's Alfred doesn't bear a striking resemblance to Gotham's Sean Pertwee, although that's fine considering there's no connection between the two series. While Pennyworth does have Gotham creator Bruno Heller and executive producer Danny Cannon attached, the similarities between the two shows end with the men involved and the characters each shares. The good news is that doesn't make it impossible for any Batman villains to make a cameo in the upcoming drama, although nothing has been said to indicate that could happen.
After all, Pennyworth is a show about Alfred, and the only other Batman character we know will make an appearance is Thomas Wayne. The series has cast actor Fleabag and Reign actor Ben Aldridge to play Batman's father, although it's been revealed Thomas is not the father to young Bruce at this stage in his life. We're not even sure if Thomas has met Martha yet, as his character description simply states he's a "confident and extremely disciplined" American aristocrat who Alfred goes into business with.
Pennyworth is currently coming together and the drama is set to film in Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in the UK. It will air on Epix sometime in the future. There's plenty of television shows to watch in the meantime, so be sure to head over to our fall premiere guide to see what all is on the way.
